Best Friends
by mockingjayfelicis
Summary: Oneshot. Lonely first-year Bellatrix Black is fascinated by introverted and handsome Head Boy Tom Riddle. They share their first conversation in the Slytherin common room, and unbeknown to Bellatrix, Tom recruits her as his first Death Eater.


**AN: I know that this oneshot is completely ridiculous because it never could have happened, considering Tom and Bellatrix attended Hogwarts at completely different times, but the idea popped into my head and I haven't written a Harry Potter fic yet so I thought I'd give it a go. Hope it goes down well, please feel free to leave a review and let me know your thoughts.**

It was mid-September. A new term had just begun at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after the long summer holiday, and most of the first years seemed to be settling in well.

Bellatrix Black, a young girl from one of the most well-known pure-blood families in the wizarding world, was one of the few who were finding it difficult to feel at home. Unsurprisingly, she had been sorted into Slytherin house. Her entire family had been Slytherins during their time at Hogwarts, and although she had been expecting it, Bellatrix was secretly relieved when the Sorting Hat announced she would be one, too. The shame of being the one to ruin the family tradition, of being the first Black to be sorted into Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Merlin forbid, _Gryffindor_, was too unbearable for her to imagine. But luckily, she didn't have to worry about it anymore – she was a Slytherin, just as she should be, and now she could enjoy the next seven years at Hogwarts adorning her green and silver emblazoned uniform.

That is, if she could find any friends to enjoy it with. Bellatrix had never exactly been the most extroverted of children, but her mother had reassured her that she would get on just fine with the other students at Hogwarts. How wrong she was. When she walked through the corridors between her classes, people would stare at her wild black curls and giggle. No matter how much she brushed it or tried to tame it, her hair just wouldn't lie the way Bellatrix wanted it to. A few of the boys in her year had started calling her 'Bug Eyes', in reference to her brown eyes that were admittedly very large and did bulge out quite often, especially when she was shocked or excited. The girls she shared her dormitory with soon realised that Bellatrix was the only one out of the five of them whose chest was not yet developed enough to wear a bra. They howled with laughter and spent the night whispering snide comments to each other, while Bellatrix silently cried herself to sleep, using her bedsheets as tissues.

It was Friday evening. Classes had finished for the weekend, and everyone had just enjoyed a tasty and satisfying dinner in the Great Hall. Bellatrix made her way, alone, down into the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room was located. When she arrived, she was happy to see that it was almost empty – most of the students were still finishing off their desserts. There was a low hum of chatter amongst the few who were there, and Bellatrix was considering going straight up to her dormitory, when she noticed a boy sitting by himself on one of the leather sofas with his back to her.

There was something about the boy that was alluring to Bellatrix. She shyly walked around to the front of the sofa and sat down beside him. Bellatrix recognised him immediately as Tom Riddle, the Head Boy of Hogwarts. His skin was pale, and he had dark, curly hair, like Bellatrix, although his looked a lot tidier than hers did. His Head Boy and Prefect badges twinkled in the low, green light of the common room, and there was a ring with a rather big stone on the fourth finger of his right hand. He was holding a thick book open, and reading from it. Bellatrix's arrival did not startle him. In fact, he didn't show any reaction whatsoever. He just continued to read his book as though she wasn't there at all.

"What are you reading?" she plucked up the courage to ask.

Tom slowly closed the book over, placed it on his lap (the side with the title facing downwards) and turned to look at Bellatrix.

"It's not for children," he said silkily, turning one corner of his mouth up into a devious smile.

Bellatrix felt a bit insulted at this. She knew, of course, that at only eleven years old, she was indeed a child, but that didn't mean she wanted to be treated like one. She looked up at the seventh year boy with fascination.

"What's your name?" Although she already knew the answer to this question, she felt that introductions were appropriate.

"My name is Tom. What's yours?"

"Bellatrix. But everyone just calls me Bella."

"Well, Bellatrix," said Tom, disregarding her last statement completely. "What can I help you with?"

Bellatrix panicked. Tom made her feel very nervous, and she had a horrible feeling he was about to embarrass her, too.

"Nothing, I... I just wanted to talk to you," she admitted bashfully.

Tom smiled his little half-smile again.

"And why's that?" he enquired.

Bellatrix felt her cheeks reddening. Part of her wanted to run far away as fast as she possibly could, but it was as if Tom was placing some sort of invisible charm over her – a charm that made her so interested in what he had to say next that she stayed exactly where she was.

"I, uh... I wondered if you'd like to be friends."

There were a few tense moments of silence as Tom considered Bellatrix's proposal. Bellatrix was preparing herself to jump up off the sofa and dash towards her dormitory. _Don't be silly_, she told herself. _Why would a seventh year want to be friends with a silly little girl like you?_

Tom lowered his voice so that Bellatrix almost had to strain to hear him.

"No one's ever asked me that before. I don't have many friends."

"Me neither!" said Bellatrix at once, relieved at this response. "We could be friends though, couldn't we?"

Tom stalled the conversation, allowing one corner of his mouth to rise again.

"Of course we could, Bellatrix. From now on we'll be best friends."

Bellatrix couldn't believe her luck. A new best friend, all of her very own! A genuine smile radiated across her face as she continued to look at Tom. Whether it was a spell, or just admiration, or perhaps a bit of both, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that she couldn't and didn't want to take her eyes away from this very unusual, yet very kind wizard.

"Oh, thanks, Tom! Thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed.

Tom let out a breath of laughter and he held his hand up to quieten her. Bellatrix stopped talking at once and listened attentively.

"But you have to understand, Bellatrix, that I do expect certain things from my friends," Tom said quietly.

Bellatrix nodded quickly.

"I need friends who will... remain loyal to me. I need to know they'll be there for me, whatever the circumstances. And most of all, I need to know that they'd be willing to help me, if I ever required them to."

Bellatrix nodded again.

"Would you do that, Bellatrix? Would you help me with something?"

"Yes, Tom, of course I would... I'm your best friend," Bellatrix smiled.

"You are indeed, sweetheart," Tom whispered with a mischievous smile. "You are indeed."


End file.
